Midway through a video dedicated to his fallen daughter, Sgt. Isela Rubalcava, 56-year-old Ramon Rubalcava used a red handkerchief to wipe away tears.

The video was a tribute filled with pictures that spanned the life of Sgt. Rubalcava, 25, who was killed in a mortar attack in Mosul, Iraq, 10 years ago and is believed to be the first El Paso County woman to die in combat.

The video at Stolleys Riverwalk Center, 311 W. Borderland, ended with Luke Bryan's song "Drink a Beer" and then every table toasted her with a Tecate beer — her favorite.

The video was part of a 10th anniversary memorial dinner that featured photos, military mementos and a table filled with her favorite things — volleyball, cheesy fries and chocolate cakes with vanilla icing.

REPORTER

Luis Carlos Lopez

The dinner was hosted by LULAC Council No. 4457, which carries Rubalcava's name. Some 300 people took part in the celebration.

Reflecting on the decade since her daughter was killed, Maria Isela Rubalcava, 53, said she is learning to find closure.

"I've made peace with it because I know she's gone, but I'm sad of course because she's no longer with me, only in my memories," Maria Rubalcava said.

For Ramon Rubalcava, letting go has not been easy.

"I sometimes think I might be wrong," Ramon Rubalcava said in Spanish. "Because a lot of people are telling me to find closure, but I can't ... I've thought of a lot of things. I picture her being married with kids ... Every day I remember her."

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Despite the pain that lingers, Saturday's event was a cheerful one. Friends, family and fellow soldiers who served with Sgt. Rubalcava remembered her as a person who was "feisty" and always had the right attitude.

Kurt Pittsenbargar and Robert Kinard both served with her 10 years ago. Both remembered her as upbeat.

"She had a way of cheering you up. Her smile could make people just relax," Pittsenbargar said.

Thompson, a former battalion commander, oversaw 650 soldiers and civilians, including Sgt. Rubalcava, in Iraq.

"I'm sorry and I will always regret not coming home with all my soldiers," Thompson said looking at Ramon and Maria Rubalcava.

Rubalcava graduated from Canutillo High School in 1996. She joined the Army in 2000. She was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom in November 2003. Rubalcava was killed May 8, 2004, three days shy of her 26th birthday.

During the memorial, guest speaker Rear Adm. Samuel Perez said the military photo of a smiling Sgt. Rubalcava spoke volumes and "said it all."

"Although I never met Isela Rubalcava, I immediately knew who she was. Her smile and confidence that she radiates in that picture tells you that she was a young lady who wanted more out of life than the average person. I think she was the type of young lady who always said 'ponle un poquito más'— 'Give it just a little more,' " he said.

Perez, also from Canutillo, borrowed a line from Ramon Rubalcava that Sgt. Rubalcava had the courage to meet difficult challenges.

LULAC volunteer Veronica Landry, who was a contract morale, welfare and recreation coordinator in Iraq, helped organize the memorial. She shares a special bond with Sgt. Rubalcava in that she was there when she died.

She said facing her parents and telling them she did everything she could to save their daughter offered her closure.

"Through that, I realized that God's purpose for me was to be there for them and to keep her legacy alive. And so, since I didn't keep her body alive. I'll keep her memory and legacy alive," Landry said.